Fender’s Hammertone effects pedals are well-designed, road-worthy and offer a nice range of sounds at prices that won’t break the bank. There are nine Hammertone pedals in all, including various distortion, time delay and modulation effects. They are all pedalboard-friendly and feature top-mounted input and output jacks. This lets you fit more pedals on the same board, while also increasing pedal routing options.

They are fitted in rugged aluminum enclosures with a uniform grey finish. The different models each have distinctly colored knobs and logos based on Fender’s historic custom colors. In a nice touch, the LED indicator lights up in the same color as the knobs, so you know which pedal is which on a dark stage. They are powered via a nine-volt adaptor or a battery that’s accessed by removing the baseplate via a single screw.

Although the Hammertone pedals are inexpensive, they are high quality and would be a great choice for a player looking for a user-friendly intro to the world of pedals or seasoned professional looking to fill a tonal gap on their pedalboard.

For some of us old-timers, the Taylor Legacy series is a trip down memory lane as we can remember selling the original versions of these models when they were new. It’s funny, but we don’t know exactly when Gryphon became a Taylor dealer. We think we started carrying them around 1982, but when we called Taylor to check, it turns out their computer records don’t go back that far. (Ours don’t, either.) Still, we remember the days when Kurt Listug would show up in his Volvo station wagon to hand deliver the guitars like these models that he, Bob Taylor and their small crew built in the small Lemon Grove workshop.

Even then, we could tell Taylor guitars were something special. The first ones we stocked already had the slim, playable necks they are still renowned for. Along with the standard six-strings, they built amazing 12-string guitars that set a new standard for acoustic jingle-jangle.

This first run of Legacy models includes the Jumbo 815e, the Dreadnought 810e and the Jumbo 12-string 855e, the mahogany and cedar 514ce and the rosewood and cedar 714ce. Like the original versions, all of these have x-braced tops and straight-sided headstocks and the 815e and 855e have the iconic mustache bridge design. They are all fitted with LR Baggs Element pickups and include hardshell cases.

The guitar, banjo and mandolin straps from Lakota Leathers are made on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, an Oglala Sioux reservation in South Dakota. The guitar and banjo straps are made from Bison (American Buffalo) leather and they are remarkably supple, which makes them very comfortable. 

Each guitar strap has a 36″ main body and a 24″ tail section. These pieces weave together to create an approximate maximum length of 58″ and a minimum length of 37″. Of course, they are completely adjustable. 

There are two types of banjo strap. The cradle style features a 48″ tail section which completely encircles your banjo pot assembly. This design is a Lakota Leathers original and it offers a safe and secure method to support your banjo.

The other banjo strap is the “non-cradle” style, which attaches to your banjo by utilizing two ‘tail -sections’ of bison leather. These two ‘tail sections’ are 3/4″ wide and are at both ends of the main body of the strap. These individually loop around a single tension hook of your choosing and are secured back to themselves by a Chicago screw.

The braided mandolin straps are crafted from Elk hide because it offers a better combination of strength and suppleness than any other leather. The length is 43″ with three adjustment holes at the strap button end.

Kilin Reece, the driving force behind KR Strings, is a well-known luthier and Hawaiian music historian based in Honolulu. After years of building and repairing a wide range of fretted instruments Kilin has designed two new instruments. The Octolindo is a flat-top octave mandolin that comes in a variety of styles. Thanks to a scalloped X-braced Engelmann spruce tops these are big-sounding octave mandolins with a deep, throaty tone and plenty of volume. The relatively short (21.5 inch) string scale and radiused fingerboard makes them remarkably easy to play.

His other instrument, the Mandolindo, is a sort of cross between a mandolin and a steel-string ukulele. These hybrids have excellent tone with plenty of volume, and the radiused fingerboard makes chords easy to finger. For the mandolinist, these instruments offer extra hours of practice without the effort of fingering a double-strung instrument. For the uke player, a Mandolindo offers extra volume and projection which is especially welcome when playing acoustically with louder instruments like the guitar.

KR Strings Mandolindo Scholar

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The Frank Ford Scholarship Fund

The Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery is pleased to announce the launch of the Frank Ford Scholarship Fund. This is a collaboration with Frank’s wife Joy Imai, Richard Johnston, Gryphon Stringed Instruments and the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery to honor the legacy of Frank Ford. Donations to this fund will allow learning experiences for aspiring luthiers for years to come. 

To donate, write your tax-deductible check to Frank Ford Scholarship Fund. (The fund is administered by the Friends of the Old Town Center for the Arts (FOTCA), which is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization). Mail your check to: Gryphon Stringed Instruments, 211 Lambert Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 or donate online at: Frank Ford Scholarship Fund

We are deeply saddened to learn of Frank Ford’s passing. As a guest lecturer Frank regularly traveled to Phoenix to give our students a demonstration on neck resets, re-frets, pickguard replacement and many other repair operations to over 60 classes. We called Frank a ‘performance artist’ as he did these ‘demos’ in real time, while talking through each step of the process. His knowledge and experience in the world of guitars and guitar repair is truly remarkable. His tales of repair experiences, customer relations, tool use and everything guitar related was always fascinating, insightful and informative.

Through his dedication to training his tech staff, teaching at our school, his many appearances at the Guild of American Luthier’s and Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans conventions, appearances at Northwoods Guitar Seminar and tag team demos with Dan Erlewine, his writings in Fretboard Journal and many other publications, and all of Frank’s associations and vast network of clients, leaves a considerable legacy to his boundless sharing of information to the guitar making and repair community. His partnership with Richard Johnston and the creation of Gryphon Stringed Instruments is legendary, and a real testament to what a music store can bring to a community.

William Eaton, Director, Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery

John Reuter, Bart Applewhite, Steve Davis, Jim Prater, Robert Manzullo, Mark Allred, Brady Shreeve, AJ Machnes, Joe Vallee, John Lippi and all of the students and graduates of Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery

When we became Fender dealers, we knew we were going to love their guitars and basses, but we had no idea that we would be as charmed by their ukuleles as we have been. Fender offers soprano ukuleles in a variety of models that echo the body shapes of their famous electric guitars. You can choose between a Telecaster, a Stratocaster, or a Jazzmaster in a variety of colors. And they all come with factory-installed pickups.

For the more traditionally minded, Fender offers a pair of tenor ukuleles which were designed with input from Dhani Harrison. (Dhani is the son of  George Harrison, who was a huge ukulele fan.) These two ukuleles have the traditional hourglass body shape and they also come with factory installed pickups.

The biggest surprise in the Precision Bass ukulele. This is tuned in the same register as a full-size bass. It doesn’t have much volume when played acoustically, but when you plug it in, it has a remarkably full bass tone. This would be a good choice for someone looking for a travel-size bass.

Northfield’s “Big Mon” is of course named after the famous Bill Monroe tune, and like his iconic Lloyd Loar F-5 it has the black-white purfling lines on the sides (instead of on the top and back). Unlike Monroe’s Loar, the Big Mon has a slightly larger body which produces a bit of extra oomph in volume and resonance, which becomes clear with just a few chord chops and quick runs with your flat pick. It’s hard to believe this is a brand new mandolin, and when those brassy-sounding new strings are broken in a bit the tone will be even more convincing. Northfield pulled out all the stops for this model, even giving it a hybrid varnish finish instead of straight nitrocellulose lacquer.

The Big Mon comes in a variety of finishes including their standard Loar-style sunburst; a darker sunburst they call Icelandic Brown; an all-body Amber finish; and a Black Top with sunburst back and sides, a look that Orville Gibson created in the 1890s. Northfield offers three different tonewoods for the top: Adirondack Red Spruce, Engelmann Spruce, and Italian Spruce. They also offer two nut widths, the standard 1 1/8″ and the wider 1 3/16″. The fretboard is radiused on all of the variations. The Big Mon is our most popular Northfield model. Stop on by and give it try and we think you’ll find out why.

Taylor’s 200 series is a fine choice for beginning or intermediate players looking for a great sounding, easy playing guitar that will help take them to the next musical level. We have been particularly impressed with the new 200 Series of 12-string guitars.

Taylor has earned a reputation for building some of the easiest playing 12-strings out there, and happily the tone of these three models match their playability. Crafted with solid tops for projection, clarity and balance, these 200 Series 12-strings come in a variety of tonewoods, appointments and body shapes.

When we signed on as Fender dealers, we were perhaps most excited to stock the American Vintage II series. While all the new Fenders we have been getting have been fine guitars, there’s just something about the designs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that gets our hearts racing. The American Vintage II guitars and basses are accurate versions of the classic designs. They have period-correct bodies, necks and hardware, premium finishes and meticulously voiced, year-specific pickups. We invite you to come in and try them out. We think you’ll love them as much as we do.

The Fender Stratocaster is so ubiquitous these days it’s difficult to imagine how modern it must have looked to players back in 1954 when it was first introduced. It had an asymmetrical body shape with a contoured back for playing comfort; three pickups for tonal versatility; and a simple but responsive vibrato system. Guitarists immediately took to the new instrument and within a few years they were using it to create a whole new vocabulary for guitar playing.

The Fender Stratocaster proved to be so popular that it has been copied by companies all over the world, but the original is still the best. We are proud to carry new Fender instruments and we are particularly pleased with the lineup of Strats from Fender and Squier. The Stratocaster comes in many variations, so there is sure to be one that will be perfect for your music. 

Taylor’s GS Mini has been Gryphon’s best-selling guitar for several years running and no other model even comes close. Why? Simply because this little powerhouse does so many different things so well. It’s a travel guitar that doubles as a kids’ guitar which can also serve as a songwriter’s guitar or a couch companion you always want to have handy. Want a modern-day parlor guitar you can plug in to fill a stadium? A GS Mini with its standard pickup can do that.

The GS Mini is available in a number of acoustic or acoustic-electric configurations. The tops are all made of solid tonewoods and include spruce, mahogany or koa. The back and sides are made of layered tonewoods and include sapele, koa and rosewood. They all have different tonal personalities but the finger-friendly 23 1/2 inch scale and easy string action are consistent throughout the line.

I spent more than 20 years working with Frank Ford here in the Gryphon repair department and his passing has created a void that is both personal and professional. He was famous in the luthier community for his repair skills and his willingness to share that knowledge freely. For those of us fortunate enough to have worked beside him, we got the benefit of his decades of experience first hand but more than that we got a great mentor who offered a fresh outlook on what is truly important. 

Frank was very fond of the Gryphon repair crew, and he left us with the confidence and expertise to keep his legacy alive. We will continue to carry on the Gryphon ethos of treating our customers with honesty, and offering our best advice available. Our dedicated repair team will continue to offer the same repair services that we have for decades, supporting our local community of musicians the best we can by making your instruments play the best they can. 

On a more mundane note, we are busier than ever and we will continue to require appointments for repair and set-up consultations. Please call us at +1 (989) 498-9527 during our business hours to schedule an appointment. You don’t need an appointment for restrings, which we can usually do while you wait. Also, we can often complete smaller repairs while you’re here, staff pending. It is best to call before coming in to make sure we have the right repair people available. 

-Brian Michael